Cristina

I spent a quiet day with Sue yesterday, recovering from the marvelous Tacoma trip, and today I spent the afternoon with Cristina. She and I seldom have time together without Seth or the children, so today was a treat. I’m going to be caring for the children from Thursday through Sunday while she and Seth are working out of town, so there were matters for us to talk about—and this time I need to be able to drive their truck, which I have never done before, so she took me on a test-drive. OK, technically, it's an SUV, not a truck, but it's a very large vehicle, and I was nervous, but she was patient and very encouraging.

I reminded myself that I drove 1,908 miles from Austin, Texas to Northampton, Massachusetts in a rented truck filled with everything Seth and I owned, towing our old Toyota behind. I had just finished my PhD, and I was driving us to my new job at Smith College. Seth rode in the front passenger seat, holding his teddy bear. He was then the age Bella is now. If I could do that 46 37 years ago (my math skills are sorely lacking), surely I can drive their vehicle now, I said to myself on the way to their house. And with Cristina’s help, I found that I could. 

As I know I have said many times, she’s an amazing woman. I haven’t found anything she can’t do. She’s a professional stylist and costumer, a loving and compassionate mom, an adventurous, mouth-watering cook who makes tamales at Christmas and the best flan I’ve ever eaten. She’s a dog-trainer, a TV presenter, a gardener, a seamstress; she keeps a well-organized and tidy house; she manages birthday parties like an event planner; she teaches the kids to look at their scabs or at worms from the garden under a microscope. Lately she has taken up star-gazing, since her sister gave her a telescope last Christmas. As I saw today, she’s a good-humored and indulgent daughter-in-law who laughs with me at my trepidations. My appreciation for her is boundless.